MIDLAND -- Burges High coach Marcus Graham could only wonder what could have been.

After preaching to his team about not falling behind early in Saturday's Class 4A, Division II, regional semifinal, the Mustangs could not heed his lesson. Wichita Falls Rider scored three times in the first five minutes and Burges could never recover in a 64-35 loss that continued El Paso's futility in the third round of the state high school playoffs.

Reporter Evan Mohl

No area football team has ever won a third round playoff game, now 0-for-13 in the modern postseason format.

"You can't spot the No. 8 team in the state 21 points," Graham said. "If you take away those 21 points, it's a one-possession game."

Rider (11-2) struck on its very first play from scrimmage, thanks to trickery. The Raiders ran a jet sweep double reverse and all the Burges defenders bit.

DavonÊAllison hit a wide-open Cody Taylor for 52-yard strike.

"I've never seen that before," Burges quarterback and defensive back Alvin Jones said.Ê

Burges (10-3) went three-and-out and Rider capitalized with a 39-yard passing touchdown on fourth down. The wheels then really came off.

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The Raiders ensuing kickoff bounced off a Burges player. Rider recovered and scored three plays later on a Dominic Thrasher 42-yard run for a 21-0 lead before Burges even got a first down.

But the Mustangs came back, even making the game interesting. KeAndre Bates got an interception and Burges went on a 12-play, 83-yard scoring march capped by a Michael Rasor 1-yard touchdown run.

The Mustangs found a rhythm on the ground as Aaron Jones blasted off an 80-yard run after a defensive stop to make the score 21-12.

Burges ran for a whopping 516 yards, gashing the Rider defense for the second most points all season. Alvin Jones had 116 yards on the ground, while twin brother Aaron showed why he may be one of the best players in the state. He finished with 335 rushing yards, spinning and stiff-arming his way past a defense that allowed just 18 points a game all year and had shut down some of the top Division I recruits.

"That back was the real deal. He was really hard to tackle and very physical," Rider linebacker Bradley Goldstein said. "He would not go down. He was really good."

Family comforts a Burges High player after the 64-35 loss to Wichita Falls Rider. (By Aaron Bracamontes / El Paso Times)

But Burges struggled to get a defensive stop. Rider scored with 1:14 left in the half, and then again 20 seconds later after recovering its second onside kick to go up 43-15 and put the game away.

The Raiders finished with 585 total yards of offense, including 312 on the ground. They punted once.

"Their offensive line was big, they just engulfed us," Graham said. "Our defensive line didn't get much push."

Burges ends the season as the city's fifth-ranked team. The Mustangs advanced to the third round for the first time in school history, becoming the first El Paso team to do so since 2009.

"It hurts, we wanted to make El Paso proud and make history," said Aaron Jones, fighting back tears. "I'm proud of the guys, you just never want it to end like this."

Evan Mohl may be reached at emohl@elpasotimes.com;546-6381. Follow him on Twitter @EvanMohl